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by Cecile de Veyra (Managing Editor)

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Global energy consumption continues to grow amid increasing population, urbanization and economic development. Oil, natural gas and coal are still the world’s primary energy source – reserves of which will be depleted by 2052, 2060 and 2090, respectively, according to the Millennium Alliance for Humanity and the Biosphere at Stanford University. And this time span could still shrink as colder winter and hotter summer seasons are expected to jack up power demand.
To help stem the tide, renewable sources are being harnessed and made more efficient to fill the need for environment-friendly power generation. About 30 percent of electricity used around the world currently comes from them. They are solar, wind, geothermal, hydropower and bioenergy systems, while ocean energy is still being developed.
Solar power systems are projected to “account for 60 percent of global renewable power growth in 2022, followed by wind and hydropower,” according to the International Energy Agency.
While available renewables are usually separate systems, combining their technologies has been gaining traction. Popular are solar/wind hybrid power systems because they are complementary – one harvesting energy during the day and summer months and the other at night and the winter season. This ensures round-the-clock and year-round power.
There are standalone and on-grid types for residential, commercial and industrial installations. Such setups usually consist of solar panels, a wind turbine, a battery bank, an inverter and a wind solar hybrid controller or charge controller.
Standalone systems work off the grid. But there are some that include a diesel-powered engine generator, which can recharge the battery when there is not enough energy collected by both the solar panels and wind turbine. This entails an additional cost but the trade-off is a lower requirement for energy storage and an assured supply.
These systems are connected to the grid and can transfer and sell energy to it during sunny periods and draw from it when collected solar and wind energy is not enough.
Having such a setup is ideal for locations where there is abundant sunlight and wind. This helps stabilize power supply in either direction, making this a zero-carbon and net-positive option for a home, business or community.




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